When I Was Your Man (One-Shot)
by Emmalee.Sky
Summary: "I hope he does all the things I should have done when I was your man." Draco Malfoy watches her with him and he can't help but realize that he should have taken advantage of her love when he had a chance. Now, she's happy with someone that's not him and he's forced to accept it.


**When I was Your Man ~ Bruno Mars**

Another night of fretful sleeping, his eyes open to the white popcorn ceiling. He yawned and reached out beside him; his hand falling onto the cold, empty left side of the bed. He turned his head; such a big, wide bed for just one person. The size continued to remind him just how very alone he was.

Angrily, he tossed the blankets off him, sat up and stomped out of his bedroom; unable to deal with the emptiness of the area. The sound of the door shutting behind him echoed like the sound of the front door echoing not too long ago.

He decided he'd catch a late breakfast out; the house was dreadfully empty now. With that thought, Draco dressed in a pair of black trousers and a gray button down shirt then he was gone, apparating to Diagon Alley. He slid into a booth in the Leaky Cauldron and before he knew it, a jug of Butterbeer was in his hands as he looked around at all the witches and wizards going about their day. It wasn't something he usually did but he found himself doing it more often then was probably best for him.

"Mr. Malfoy, would you like a refill?"

He looked up to see Hannah Abbott standing at his table with a new jug of Butterbeer. He looked down at his jug and frowned; he hadn't noticed that he finished it. He wasn't used to being so absent-minded. It wasn't good. He _really _didn't like it.

Suddenly, a soft noise came to his ears. The beat of the song; he almost got up and stormed out of the place. He would have if he didn't have a reputation to uphold.

It was that damn, bloody song; their song by that muggle Bruno Mars "Just the Way You Are." She'd heard the song, instantly liked it and as he listened to it, he just knew without a doubt, that it was perfect and written just about the way he felt for her.

"Mr. Malfoy, is everything alright?"

He looked up again and realized he was clenching his jug tightly. He released it and took a deep breath, nodding. "Yes, thank you. I will take the Butterbeer as well." He answered as the song went on, "And when you smile, the whole world stops and stares for a while –"

"Actually, can I get it to go?" He now knew that leaving the Manor had been a bad idea. But being stuck in the Manor, with all her memories, wasn't an option either, so with that thought; he decided, an early dinner would be best.

Draco immediately heads home to owl Pansy and Blaise. They replied quickly and the plans were set. He just had to survive the remainder of the time. With a sigh, he disappeared into his library.

That night, Draco sat at the table, sipping his glass of Chardonnay, listening to Pansy and Blaise go on and on about the article in the Daily Prophet. He tried not to roll his eyes as they talked about the most recent match where the Holyhead Harpies defeated some team; he wasn't really listening. He only was mildly curious why he even knew something about the god awful women's quidditch team. He wondered why he even knew the team. He hadn't followed quidditch after graduating from Hogwarts.

"For the love of Merlin, you are a complete imbecile!" Pansy hissed lowly at the table.

Draco covered his laugh with a cough and watched as their argument escalated. He hoped that it wouldn't draw the attention of the Maître d'. And that he didn't kick them out because of it. He rather enjoyed this place.

"You are a harpy! And I _am not _an imbecile! Did you even watch the match?" Blaise glared at her.

"As a matter of fact, I did." Pansy crossed her arms and tilted up her nose.

Draco stared at her with amazement. He hadn't known Pansy to be interested in the sport. "You watched a quidditch match? Why?" He asked curiously.

"You make me sound so bad, Draco. Of course I watched the Holyhead Harpies match! I find it very fascinating!" Pansy pouted.

"Only because it's an all-women's team; she said something about girl power or the sort." Blaise snorted.

"Wow, Pansy, I'm impressed." Draco smirked.

"Stuff it, the both of you. I'll have you know, their best player is bloody amazing. I've never seen someone play as well as her." Pansy told them.

"Really? Is she beautiful?" Blaise asked.

"Why do you care? You're gay. She doesn't have the part of the anatomy that you _so _enjoy." Pansy smirked.

Blaise shot another glare at her. "Pansy Parkinson! How dare you say that to me! I was asking for Draco's sake. He needs a date; better yet, he needs to have a nice shag to get out of that blasted stump he's been in since _you-know-who _left him."

"You dated Voldemort? Draco, how scandalous! Won't daddy be jealous?" Pansy teased.

"Why are you being so hateful to me? I didn't do anything to you." Draco glared at her then turned to look at Blaise, "and I don't need your help or anyone's for that matter. I can find a simple shag all on my own, thank you very much."

"Plus, I don't think he'd want to date _her _again." Pansy mumbled but Draco heard it and knew exactly who she was talking about.

"Ginny?" Blaise asked with shock.

_Ginny Weasley_; that's why Holyhead Harpies sounded so familiar. It was the quidditch team that Ginny had been playing for since she graduated. She was their star chaser.

_Ginny_

_Ginny_

_Ginny_

"Mate, another glass?" Blaise offered and Draco didn't refuse. Just the mere mention of her name was enough to tear him down. He was in serious trouble.

The next night found him lying back in the grass behind Malfoy Manor. Draco stared up at the sky. It was a dark, starry night and the cold burrowed deep within him to his very core; through his veins and into his bones. It was painful but not as painful as what he had suffered half a year ago.

He was a mess. Barely showing up to work; Merlin only knew how close Robards was from firing him. But the man was right, after a handful of meetings, what kind of Auror was he now? He was broken, lonely, desperate without her. He should have done so much; spent time with her, taken care of her, loved her, treated her better… just _be _with her but he couldn't do that. He had _more important things to do_. Merlin, he was a goddamn idiot and now, now someone else was taking care of her, loving her when he didn't.

He deserved it; he realized as he remembered that night.

_He'd never seen her so angry, so helpless before as she stood by the base of the stairs, bags packed and ready to go, to leave him. _

"_I – I can't deal with this anymore!" She cried, tears spilling from her lovely, bright, chocolate brown eyes. "Why can't you just… just say it? Tell me." She asked him._

"_What does it matter?" He hissed. "I've given you everything; a home, money, you want for nothing."_

"_I want for nothing?" She grabbed the front of his dress shirt and shook him angrily, "what good is a home if you're never with me? What good is money if I can't spend it with you? Going out, being together? What good is any of it? Tell me that, Draco!"_

"_I don't understand." He frowned._

"_I love you, Draco. I love you so much but you're constantly away, even when you're not working. You don't want to spend any time with me. I'm so lonely when I'm here, when I'm away. I never see you; I never talk to you… I'm so – I'm so lonely, Draco." She whispered the last part._

_And something inside of him snapped. "You shouldn't be lonely, Ginny! You have everything! What is there to be lonely about?"_

"_You're not understanding what I'm telling you." She stared at him. "Tell me you love me." She finally said after a few moments of silence._

"_What?" He asked. _

"_Tell me you love me." She repeated._

"_Why?"_

"_Why?" Her eyes widened._

"_Love is pointless."_

"_Point – pointless?" She gasped. "How could you –" he cut her off._

"_I want you. Isn't that enough?"_

"_No, you lose interest in things you want then throw them away as if they are nothing after." She explained._

"_Who needs love?" He grumbled. "I don't."_

"_Draco, why did you ask me to move in with you?" She asked suddenly._

"_Because it's easier to have you here when I need you," he explained._

"_I see…" she nodded. _

_He grinned, he was glad she understood. _

"_And why did you buy me this ring?" She asked, indicating to the promise ring he'd given her for Christmas a few weeks ago._

"_Pansy said it's what girls want. That if you got it, you would stay with me," He told her._

"_And, again, why do you want me to stay with you?" She asked._

"_Because I want you, Red, I want you so much." He told her as if it were the most obvious thing in the world._

"_Okay, thank you for explaining that for me." She said then picked up her bags and started towards the door._

"_Where are you going?" He was confused again._

"_I'm leaving." She explained._

"_What – but why?" _

"_Draco Malfoy, you are the most selfish, arrogant, pigheaded, idiotic man I have ever met and I've met my fair share of them." She said as she continued towards the door._

"_How dare you say that about me," his blood boiled._

"_How dare you! I hate you. Well, that's fine. Live with all your pride, your want, your money in this big house. I don't need to be here." She told him as she yanked off her promise ring and threw it at him then walked through the door and slammed it, echoing throughout the house._

_As it shut and the realization that Ginny had really left him started to sink in, his heart squeezed painfully in his chest. He clenched it tightly as he fell to his knees. He… Merlin, he loved her but somehow he knew, he knew that it was too late._

Rubbing his tired, painfully dry eyes, Draco yawned. He should get some sleep. He knew he should but he couldn't bring himself to move to his empty bedroom and close his eyes. It had been six months since Ginny left him and _still _he couldn't sleep well. Every night he closed his eyes, her sad, tear soaked face tore his heart in two. He wouldn't ever be able to fix the mess he made. He couldn't, couldn't apologize to her for his stupidity, his goddamn pride. He was an absolute idiot and he would suffer for it for the rest of his life.

Draco watched quietly as he sat at a lone table at the annual Aurors' party. His date, luckily Pansy was free for the night, was off trying to pick up poor, unfortunate men somewhere; he didn't really care as he watched _her_; she wore a dark green dress, matching her date's eyes. Her beautiful fiery hair was pulled up into an elegant bun, a few strands slipping to curl around her porcelain skinned face. She wore little makeup, just a tint to her lips and cheeks and eyeliner to make her eyes more hypnotic... or so it seemed to him.

Her head would fall back, a huge, beautiful smile on her lips and her laughter hit him like a stampede of hippogriffs when he leaned forward, his lips brushing against her ear and whispering something to her.

It was the hardest thing he had ever had to do; watch her with someone else. But Merlin, he was an idiot and had brought this upon himself.

Potter wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled Ginny flush against his body then dipped her back. Draco watched as her bright brown eyes sparkled with happiness and excitement and damn, he saw the love there too; another painful stab to the heart.

"Bloody hell," he whispered to himself as he looked away.

"Why do you continue to do this to yourself?" Pansy asked as she slid into the empty chair beside him.

"Do what?" He asked.

"I didn't think you were this stupid, Draco." She sighed. "She's moved on with her life. She's happy. It didn't work out. Give up, move on too. Make yourself happy. Because torturing yourself watching her with him and thinking _what if_… well, it never works out well." She told him.

"Speaking from experience?" He turned to her noticing the faraway look in her eyes as she stared at the couple on the dance floor; Draco followed her gaze to see Potter had pulled Ginny back and she laughed again. He wasn't the only one watching them, it almost seemed as if the entire room was watching.

"No… okay, yes, I'm speaking from experience. So what? You think it's impossible for us to feel like this?" He didn't say anything as his eyes bore into Ginny as she slipped her arms around Potter's neck. So Pansy continued. "Let her go and your life will be easier."

He frowned, "I'm trying… really, I am. I just hope – I just hope he makes her happy. I hate him but I love her, I love her so much that I hope he gives her everything I never gave her, everything I _should _have given her. Damn… what the hell is wrong with me?" His head dropped into his hands and he groaned.

"Love, Draco, that's what's wrong with you." Pansy patted his back awkwardly. Draco sighed as he sat up, running his fingers through his hair. He was so tired, bone-weary tired.

"Damn," he shook his head.

"C'mon, let's get out of here. I reckon you've made your appearances. I hear Blaise is hosting one of his weekly poker nights. Reckon they've got all their clothes on this time?"

Draco laughed as he stood. Yeah, love was a goddamn bitch; he thought as he slid his arm around Pansy's neck and dragged her towards the door. As they stepped through, he glanced back one last time to see Potter lean forward again and brush his lips against Ginny's. It was a soft, innocent kiss yet Draco could tell how much it meant to her, to him and that familiar sting stabbed his heart. He sighed.

"You're such a masochist." Pansy snorted as she pulled him through the door and away from his broken heart.

_FIN._

**Hello! Thank you for reading! I really appreciate it. I hope you enjoyed it; a bit of Drinny and Hinny both. Who do you prefer: Drinny or Hinny? :)**

**~ Emmalee 3**


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